Arte Series 'Etty' Blends 1940s Amsterdam with Timeless Present

The six-part drama series 'Etty,' streaming on Arte and its media library, adapts the diaries and letters of Jewish student Etty Hillesum, who was deported and murdered by Nazis in Auschwitz in 1943. The series, directed by Israeli filmmaker Hagai Levi, follows Etty (Julia Windischbauer) as she aspires to become a writer while battling depression. After a professor she is close to commits suicide following a politically motivated dismissal, Etty seeks treatment from psychochirologist Julius Spier (Sebastian Koch), who uses unconventional methods like palm reading. Their evolving romantic relationship becomes central to her inner journey as Nazi persecution intensifies. The cinematography keeps the camera tightly on Etty, with close-ups capturing her emotional turmoil, while voice-overs from her diaries are delivered by Windischbauer. Levi subtly depicts the growing Nazi influence: SS soldiers appear rarely and blurrily, contrasting with modern trams and an ambiguous costume style that avoids both 1940s and 2020s fashion. The absence of modern technology like smartphones preserves the illusion that the story unfolds in a timeless present, underscoring its contemporary relevance.